Courses
Two evenings a week, thirty hours a term
Three terms a year: October, January and April. A full level takes two terms, and we would rather tell you that before you enrol than after.
Levels
Where you start
If you do not know your level, take the placement test: twenty minutes in writing and ten minutes talking, free, with no obligation to enrol.
A1 · From nothing
Introducing yourself, shopping, booking an appointment, understanding a short official letter. Two terms. Starts in October and in January.
From 00
A2 · Coping on your own
The doctor, the landlord, the residents' meeting, the school WhatsApp group. Two terms.
From 00
B1 · Working in the language
Meetings, emails, a disagreement with a supplier. The level most employers here ask for. Two terms.
From 00
B2 · With shades of meaning
Defending an idea, writing a report, catching the irony in the room. Two terms, sometimes three.
From 00
C1 · Catalan only
For public competitive exams and posts in the administration, healthcare and teaching. Three terms, with a great deal of work outside the classroom.
From 00
Timetables
When the classes run
Every group meets twice a week for an hour and a half, on the same days and at the same time for the whole term.
Monday and Wednesday
Catalan in both evening slots; Spanish in the later one only.
08:00 - 09:30
Catalan A2 · morning group
Mireia Solans
For afternoon shifts and for anyone who starts work at ten. Coffee provided, which at that hour is the least we can do.
18:30 - 20:00
Catalan A1 and B1
Núria Camps
The slot most people choose. You can walk in until 18:45 without knocking.
20:15 - 21:45
Catalan A1 and B2, Spanish B1
Andreu Vidal
For people who leave the office at eight. We finish at 21:45 exactly.
Tuesday and Thursday
The parallel groups: if you miss Monday, you can come on Tuesday at the same level.
18:30 - 20:00
Spanish A1 and A2
Diego Arriaga
The new arrivals' group. Half the class has been in the city less than six months.
18:30 - 20:00
Catalan C1 · exam preparation
Núria Camps
Three terms, with two full mock exams and individual feedback on each.
20:15 - 21:45
Spanish B1 and B2
Diego Arriaga
Work, official paperwork, and the language of long meetings.
Wednesday and Saturday, separately
Two things that are not a course and that you can come to one at a time.
Wednesday 19:00 - 20:00
Conversation club
Mireia Solans
Eight people, a topic announced on Monday, and no grammar. Free if you are enrolled; 00 if you are not.
Saturday 10:00 - 13:30
Exam intensive
Núria Camps and Diego Arriaga
Four Saturdays before each official exam session. Open to people who are not enrolled this term.
Prices
What a term costs
Full term
00
Two sessions of an hour and a half each week for ten weeks, in a group of six at most.
- 30 hours of class
- Materials included
- Two catch-up sessions
- Conversation club free
Half enrolment
00
One session a week instead of two, for people who travel a lot. You progress half as fast, and it is worth being honest about that.
- 15 hours of class
- Materials included
- One catch-up session
Exam preparation
From 00
The full term plus four intensive Saturdays before the official exam session.
- 30 hours of class
- 14 hours of Saturdays
- Two marked mock exams
- Exam registration handled for you
Prices are per term of thirty hours and include your materials. Enrolment is 00 and you pay it once, the first time. You can pay in three monthly instalments at no extra cost. Leaving costs nothing: if you tell us before the term starts, you get the whole amount back.
Before you enrol
The questions we always get
What happens if I miss a week?
Every term includes two catch-up sessions: you can join the equivalent class of the parallel group on the other evening, in the same week. Your teacher also leaves a one-page summary of what the class covered. If you miss more than four sessions in a row, we ring you and decide together whether it makes more sense to move to the next term.
How long does B2 really take?
From nothing, between two years and two and a half, coming two evenings a week and reading or listening to something outside class. Anyone who promises it in six months is either selling you something or talking to someone who already speaks another Romance language.
Is the official certificate worth anything?
It depends what for. To work in the Catalan administration, the public health service or teaching, the Catalan certificate is a hard requirement worth a set number of points. Most private employers never ask for it and an interview is enough. For citizenship you need the DELE A2 or the CCSE. We will tell you which one applies to you before we sell you a preparation course.
Catalan or Spanish first?
If you are staying a few years, Spanish first: it is the language that will get you through the bank and the tax office. If your job depends on a public post, or your children go to school here, Catalan stops being optional sooner than you expect. Plenty of people do one in the 18:30 group and the other the following year.
Do you teach online?
No. We tried for two years and working people logged in from the metro with the camera off. In a group of six, in a room, that does not happen.
Can I join once the term has started?
Up to week three, if there is a place and your level fits. After that it is better to wait for the next term and come to the conversation club in the meantime.
A placement test before you decide anything
Thirty minutes, free, with no enrolment. You leave with a level, a timetable that works and a start date.